Let's go!

I had mentioned before that this semester wasn't too great for my body; in fact, I have never had this much fat as opposed to muscle on my body. I can actually see the fat on my arms, belly, legs, back... not a pretty sight! Not what a single girl wants to see when she looks in the mirror! I just didn't have the time to work out or be active, but after seeing what a sedentary lifestyle can do to my body I have resolved to step it up, way up.

It's odd because I don't eat very badly at all- in fact, I induldged much less than I normally do this semester! My normal chocolate supply remained dry all semester! I also ran the five mile Turkey Trot and the Trail of Lights 5k in Austin, but still here I am, flab city! I think what has been my biggest downfall would be the lack of muscle buiding activity and intense cardio- so here I go.

And to help stay on track and to join the rest of the gang, Cassandra has been nice enough to include me in her experiment!.

Thanks Cass!

New year, old reflections

Home finally- no more holiday travel please! Give me my dogs, my bed and the sweet, sweet pleasure of my home sweet home.

Last year really flew by! I feel like it was only yesterday I spent the New Year in Austin with my wonderful family and here I am a whole year later, but not feeling too much farther along in life.

I know life is fluid: a series of ebbs and flows which carry us along on our journey, but sometimes I feel like I am going in circles.

Which path to take in life is such a hard decision when they all can look so appealing for such different reasons. Some paths have the allure of the unknown; while others beckon at you, tugging your heartstrings to return back down a familiar path where you have spent happy times before. Excitement vs. familiarity. It's a gamble either way for sure.

I guess I don't yet know how to build a life where I get everything I want, but maybe that is the catch. Life is not a checklist or a mad-lib, but an adventure that gets written as we go along. In the end, we are the choices we make, the risks we take and the people we love along the way.

I guess I just better get out there in the world, there are new chapters yet to be written! Perhaps the best is yet to come!

Figures.

First let me say.... Hoo-ray for new laptops!!!

I leave for New Year's Eve in New Orleans tomorrow with a group of friends from Corpus and I am super excited!! Just bought a pair of fancy new black boots that hurt my wallet, but will never hurt my feet. Black, flat heels and real leather- my whole trip wardrobe is worked around these shoes!!! There will be pictures upon return!

Sooo.... I mentioned I was flabby after a semester without much exercise and in El Paso, I was feeling the way you feel when you wish you could fast forward one month of exercise to the more fit version of yourself, but something curious kept happening to me... '

Everywhere I went I had random men approaching me and hitting on me! Which is super awkward when you are in the vicinity of your family, but I could hardly believe it- here I am feeling like a whale and men are flocking to me!!

Figures.

Family photos below:

Long semester and other shorts-

Semester of hell, broken lap top, financial aid idiocracy and six weeks of a stray dog have run this poor old lady ragged!

Need to recharge batteries and rethink things. May change career goal from field fisheries biologist to environmental lobbyist / policy maker type thing. Have a book I wanna write as soon as I am laptop enabled again- it's supposed to start a mini- environmental-revolution, but for now- it's still top secret!

Brain is currently a jumbled mess of scientific names for invertebrates, macro and mirco algaes, organic chemicals and ecology formulas mixed with the possibility of new degree plans and graduate schools!

Leaving town to go to El Paso by way of Austin today- then home and I cannot wait to get back here and rest and jump on my trampoline and hit the gym like a mad woman! This semester was so busy I only made it to the gym a few times and it is showing! Flab- thy name is Rachel!

Happy holidays to all, should I not make it back this way! A better blogger is promised by the new year!

4th picture, 4th album

Well, there it is-

Chris and I deciding what to order on a family dinner at Johnny Carino's a few years ago. Everyone was there pretty much. Today is Chris' 27th birthday. It's been a long time since I didn't celebrate with him- well, at least there is country music.

And I bought myself a big trampoline for christmas- wanted one my whole life! Best gift I ever got myself, besides lip gloss from MAC.
;)

Most unsucessful ad ever!

From craigslist corpus:

"I have an English Bulldog he does not get along with other dogs has to be the only dog. Does not like cats. Does get along with my kids and our friends kids. he is 5yrs. He does like to jump on people when they come in sort of a greeting of his. You will have to introduce him slowly just like with any other animal. Usually he just lays and sleep and snores all day. Just gets up to eat and poop. I have to let him go. he does come with papers. I am willing to meet half way. he is potty trained. Willing to meet half way. "

Confession-

I don't really watch TV- no free time even if I wanted to, however...

I am a Top Chef fanatic!!!!!!

22 minutes until episode 2 of the new season!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In your lifetime-

-you must see B.B.King in concert if at all possible. He is 83 years old, so hurry!

When the man sings, it stirs your soul- feelings you didn't even know you had are evoked. His voice alone can fill an entire amphitheater. The depth of his voice seems infinite.

When he plays guitar, it brings tears to your eyes. He can make the guitar to sound like the emotions you have not been able to vocalize. Deep, insanely soulful- all you can really do to respond is stare with your mouth open and cry.

Plus, he really likes to shake his groove thing, which is hilarious.

Sleepy Saturday

I am wandering around in my big fuzzy robe, got the house to myself because roommate is out of town, thinking about making an omelet and taking a walk. Then maybe lunch with some friends I haven't really seen all semester!

A cold front blew in last night, so it feels refreshing outside this morning. Mmmm...

(Trying not to remember that I have to study for two tests and write a lab report.)

Blah, blah, politics...

I have learned that nothing much can be accomplished by talking to most people about two things:

politics and religion.

So, I generally don't chime in with my opinion about either topic.

My reason for abstaining from debate is that those whose opinions you can sway with a simple argument are generally not worth having on your side.

And the others have opinions which are generally rooted in some deep part of them which just cannot really be touched- which is neither good or bad, it just is.

I think so many political choices are made for social reasons and that drives me crazy! To me running a country and personal opinions about some hot button social/religious issues are as relevant to each other as linking your belief in the Easter Bunny to how you choose your financial investments.

That to me, is the purpose of separation of church and state, and the limiting power of the constitution and state's rights! That, in my opinion, is what the fore fathers intended. Not a two party system which is equivalent to the choice of mashed potatoes or french fries with your steak- either way your are getting the same thing, a hunk of beef and something starchy with lots of transfats hidden inside! And either ways the methane produced by that cow and the pesticides used to grow those potatoes are gonna effect you a lot more in the long run. But, what do I really know?

Absolutely nothing- nothing but oysters and that is how I like it.

I am an optimist on a personal level and a pessimist on a global level. I believe humans are gonna destroy what's left of the earth pretty soon anyway, so in the long run, nothing really matters. This planet is on the fast track to becoming a waste land of jellyfish and sludge. It's only a matter of time before orcas start picking off humans, they will be running out of otters soon and I believe we would be the next available substitute in the food web. ;) (that is kind of a nerdy joke. Kind of).

This whole mess is why I quit wanting to be a Political Science major- I just want everyone to get along and take care of their own business and leave the government to handle to bigger fishes like foreign policy and maybe saving our poor defenseless planet and what not.

Now Biology, that is completely rational, I can handle that! And back to it I now go!
;)

Please!

Tell me it's almost Dec 17? That, my friends, is the last day of finals, the day of my Christmas party and the happiest day of my life (at least this semester!)!!!

:)

Let me tell it to you straight-

Well, maybe not, I think that may be a task beyond my abilities. So, let me tell it to you biased and one-sided. Yeah, that I can handle.

I don't know how the love that was supposed to last me forever can just be over. I know it was a slow and painful process. I know that to cope with the void it left in me, I pretty much walk around like it never existed. There is no real refuge from the lost love except fictitious abandonment of all that used to mean everything.

It's a sad, sad world when people actually give up on true love because it is inconvenient and the shine has long since faded. Pathetic that people would rather not change themselves or compromise, but instead try to find a better fit elsewhere.

The truth is that there may indeed come a time when so much has transpired that the best option is to walk, or run away- and look for a new beginning. If you can't let go of the past, then the future will never mean anything. Conversely, if you refuse to learn from the past and adapt, then things become stagnant and fester. And worst and maybe most relevantly of all, if you can plan nothing for the future, then you become stuck with nowhere to go- no direction, no compass, a dead end.

It's hard to imagine a love story ending so badly when the characters so perfectly fit together, on paper anyway. I guess it's a different story when you add that third dimension back in- I guess that's the problem with looking at love on paper- it doesn't actually exist in that form and the representation is thus completely worthless.

I have avoided thinking or writing much about this, but I feel like it is probably beyond time to start dealing with it. The future is constantly ticking away with every second and I don't want to get stuck in another dead end while hiding from my failures.

Life goes on. So, I gotta keep up,keep moving and hopefully learn from my mistakes.

Where was I? -stolen from Tyly

I have an awful memory, so the older ones are guess-timates!

1 minute ago: studying for one of my two tests tomorrow

1 day ago: making salmon pasta and drinking sangria

1 week ago: resting after presenting my research to a room full of classmates and professors (yikes!)

1 month ago: getting ready to leave for a conference in salt lake city. Studying for my first round of tests.

3 years ago: Living in downtown austin with my boyfriend. A newly unemployed flight attendant and a newly minted travel agent

5 years ago: trying to be a movie star and working as a bicycle taxi driver

7 years ago: living with my dad and aspiring to be a triathlete/personal trainer. In freaking amazing shape, but I worked out about fours hours or more daily! (crazy)

10 years ago: probably smoking cigartettes behind my school if I showed up (yuck and dumb)

Love Sundays

Late breakfast. Chili for dinner simmering in the crockpot. Plans to bike ride back to the jazz festival for some more soul stirring entertainment...

love sundays....

If only there wasn't homework to do now.

Wow!

This semester is kicking my ass! Hurricanes, burglarizes and adjusting to other life changes! It's that wonderful, chaotic, hectic mess that is college!

I got to go to a conference in Salt Lake City for most of last week and meet some people from my potential graduate schools and that has made me so excited- top 2 contenders:

UC-Santa Cruz, University of Oregon and University of Washington. They all expressed interest in me and my research as well, so I feel pretty good about my chances to get a spot in their programs! I presented a poster displaying my research but didn't get an award- ah well, next time!

Here is me being nerdy at my poster:


I have to catch up with everyone- I miss all my friends! This probably means you too!